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Clowning Around: McKinney firefighter honored for unique approach to fire education
Courtesy photo/McKinney Fire Department - McKinney firefighter/paramedic/clown Brent "Hoser" Rollins received the Mark A. Sanchez Award from the Arizona Fire and Burn Educators Association, a national recognition that awards firefighters who dedicate their careers and lives outside of the firehouse to spread fire safety awareness.
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@acnpapers.com
McKinney firefighter Brent Rollins has been leading a double life for over 20 years.
Certain days in October as set aside as part of Fire Prevention Month. That's when he hangs up his gear and takes on the identity of "Hoser the Clown" to travel to McKinney ISD elementary schools spreading the message of fire safety.
His efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Rollins was recently awarded the Mark A. Sanchez Award by the Arizona Fire and Burn Educators Association. The award is named after a firefighter from Flagstaff, Ariz. who was killed at the scene of a highway accident in 1993. Firefighters from across North America submit nominees and vote on the annual award.
"As an ambassador of community education through characterization, Brent's passion for saving lives and property through education is contagious," McKinney Assistant Fire Chief Frank Roma said. "We are very proud of his well-deserved national recognition."
Rollins' educational impact reaches beyond McKinney, as he is also an instructor at the Texas A&M University Municipal Fire School, where he heads the fire and life safety course and serves as the president of the Texas Life and Fire Safety Educators Association.
Rollins began performing as "Hoser" over two decades ago, and what started as a solo project has grown into a fire-member group, the McTown Klownz, that includes Hoser as well as other McKinney firefighter/paramedics/clowns Jason "Siren" Newell, Terry "Bucky" Carr, Khalil "Blaze" Martin and dispatcher Kristie "Daisy" McCauley. The group gives performances during Fire Prevention Month to local students in kindergarten through second grade on various safety topics ranging from fire and burn safety to motor vehicle and internet safety.
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